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The World Doesn't End Here
Summary The World Doesn't End Here follows the story of a self-described Doomsday Tourist as they document their journey to witness the end of the world through their Instagram account. The narrative is told mostly through the captions of various locations where, according to the character, the world was supposed to end, but didn't. Throughout the character's journey, they grapple with fear of the future, existential anxiety, and what it means to live in a world that may end at any moment, but hasn't managed to yet. The World Doesn't End Here currently has 36 followers. Plot The unnamed Doomsday Tourist travels from location to location, and reveals more and more about themselves through the process of documenting these places on Instagram. Themes The project focuses on themes of alienation and existential anxiety, particularly among millennials, who struggle to find meaning in a world that is both increasingly connected and constantly on the edge of catastrophic political, economic, and environmental disaster. When asked to comment further on the meaning of the work, The Author is quoted as saying, "I dunno, you figure it out. Haven't you read Barthes? The author isn't the site for the production of meaning. Do some of your own legwork," ostensibly referencing literary theorist Roland Barthe's 1967 essay The Death of The Author in a lazy attempt to avoid defending her work. Artistic Choices The Doomsday Tourist instagram account is posted on in the first person, ostensibly by the character herself. She details the places she goes to, her interactions with other characters, and her own thoughts about the end of the world. She uses hashtags, some of which are mostly used by travel bloggers on Instagram. Her most commonly used hashtags are #theworlddoesntendhere #travel #travellife #theendisnear #apocalypse and #endoftheworld. Her photos are a mix of stock photos available to use under Creative Commons, and photos taken by The Author herself. The photos mostly contain no people, or people who are distant, small, and unimposing in order to create a sense of loneliness. This is combined with the addition of a vignette, or darkening in the corners of the frames, in order to instill a sense of claustrophobia or a sense of being closed in. History The idea of a doomsday tourist was first conceptualized in a series of short stories written by The Author early on the in the creative process. In this original story, the character was a photographer, which, when The Author was deciding which media to implement the various story branches through, made a visually focused medium such as Instagram seem like a natural fit. Trivia * The World Doesn't End Here has received a not insignificant amount of attention from the travel blogging community, from likes to comments that suggest they have not read the caption or fail to realize it is a work of fiction. This causes The Author some degree of guilt, as many of the photos she is being applauded for are, in fact, creative commons stock photos. * The Author has herself interacted with the work under her own Instagram profile, commenting on The World Doesn't End Here's post the following: "You’re not even real. Faaaaaaake." * Although many of the photos used are stock photos within the creative commons, a few, including x and x are photos that she has herself taken. * Later in the series, the Doomsday Tourist interacts with Loomie, a character from a different branch of the Archontic project. __FORCETOC__ Posts * The Beach * The Gas Station * The Subway * The Intersection * The Cabin * The Empty Highway * The Graffiti Underpass * The Roofless House * The Abandoned Church * The Room with The Face * The Twins Part 1 (Condom Shack): * The Twins Part 2 (Now Under Construction) *The Forest